Check out the Blue Man obituary on the Olson Campaign. No word yet on whether the Olson Campaign has received the news of its own demise...

As a blogger in the 6th, I have become accustomed to the ever changing staff of Congresswoman Bachmann. For many of us, it's a sign of instability. A sign of weakness in our Congresswoman.

The same thing holds true for Bob Olson.

One staff defection can be expected.

Two defections are typical.

Three defections make me wonder.

Four or more in the span of 6 weeks is a significant problem.

Aside from defections, I would posit that the increasingly obsessive nature of the candidate with his DFL opponent drove at least one of those staff members away. The other big problem that I saw earlier on but chose to turn a blind eye to was this:

His experience as a tax attorney and banker should resonate well with moderate voters in the 6th. Unfortunately, Olson has failed to really deliver a solid message to delegates and voters alike, a message grounded in the real problems across the 6th: Healthcare, the Economy/Mortgage crisis, Iraq, and Education.

It's easy to blame staff for these mistakes, and surely some mistakes have been made by paid and unpaid staffers.

However, staff cannot be blamed for a candidates failure to deliver a speech on message.

The buck stops...over there.

Bob Olson is a nice guy and could have had a potentially powerful message. However, he could not deliver a speech to save his soul and whether we want to believe it or not, people respond as much to message as they do to the delivery of that message.

I agree that it is time to rally around a nominee that could be our best hope of defeating Michele Bachmann in November. She is a formidable opponent and it will take all of us working together, rather than bickering about what might have been, to turn the 6th District into a Democratic pickup.

Political Muse

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